Like Starlight Crashing Through
by ChasingPavements123
Summary: Based off of FUN's It Gets Better,Stars,and Carry On. T-Swift's White Horse, and M.Etheridge's I'm the Only One. Rachel's star is burning out with Finn and Puck needs direction. Set in the future. story better than summary...scout's honor!
1. The Chills Begin

**I'M BACK. Ok, So I haven't been on fanfiction in about a year so I'm kind of excited with this story. I've really got some great ideas for where I want this to go, but feedback is always appreciated!**

**A/N: Unfortunately I don't own any of the characters. Just the story line is mine:)**

**Enjoy!**

"Rachel!"

Rachel laid perfectly still and squeezed her eyes shut in hopes that maybe if she didn't move or open her eyes the noise would disappear and she could drift back off to dream world.

"RACHEL!"

"Coming" Rachel sighed as she hoisted herself off of her bed. She had off from rehearsal today, which would be a good thing, except Finn had off from work too. Normally when things like this happen she would find some sort of errand to run or friend to catch up with. Hopefully that would be the case today. Before she exited her room, Rachel glanced at her self in the mirror and noticed a big finger shaped bruise on her shoulder.

"Oh no. I swear it didn't hurt as bad this time!" She whispered to herself as she pulled the elastic out of her hair and shook her long brown locks out to cover the ugly, purple mark.

"Rachel! Where are you? I'm kind of getting hungry!" Finn yelled from his place on the living room couch.

"I'm coming!" Rachel shouted.

"Excuse me? Don't yell at me!"

"Sorry." Rachel said as she walked into the kitchen which was adjacent to the living room.

"Don't apologize, just don't do it again." Finn said over his shoulder.

"What do you want me to make for you?" Rachel leaned up against the counter.

"I don't care. Just whatever. But make it good." Rachel opened the fridge and realized that they were running low on eggs and milk. Thank God.

"Um Finn, we're almost out of milk and eggs. I'm gonna run to the store to get some more stuff."

"Rachel, we talked about this last weekend. Make sure you keep the fridge stocked so we don't have to go through this. Now I have to wait until you come back." Finn scolded still firmly planted to the couch.

"Well you could go every once in a while." Rachel mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Do you want anything special?" Rachel smiled sweetly as she went to stand next to the TV.

"Not that I can think of at the moment. But I'll be sure to call you if I need anything." Finn smiled.

"I'm sure you will" Rachel muttered as she grabbed her purse and her coat and practically ran out of the building.

Rachel stepped onto the sidewalk and took a deep breath. She looked to the left, which was the direction of the little corner drugstore that would make her trip last around 15 minutes and opted to go to her right, which the nearest drugstore was about 8 miles out. The walking would do her good and so would the time away from Finn. It wasn't that she didn't love Finn, because she did. She'd been in love with him for 12 years, ever since she was 14 and a freshman in high-school. He had supported her dreams and encouraged her to move to New York after high-school and study while he suffered at Lima Community College. He was the one who held her when she cried over her dad's horrible accident and eventual death 5 years ago. He was the one who moved out to their first home together, a little shoebox apartment in the Lower East Side after she graduated from NYADA with only a job offer to be in the chorus of some little off off-broadway show. He was there front and center on opening night when she starred in the off-broadway revival of West Side Storyand when it opened on Broadway and when she accepted her Tony award for it 2 years ago. He was the only one stuck by her through everything. So maybe for the past few months he's been a little demanding, yet distant, and gets upset about every little thing and blames her. It's her fault, right? Rachel trudged forward through the cold and mulled over all of this.

Puck stood up and slammed the door of the taxi. The cab driver glared at him through his rolled down window as Puck threw the fee through the opening and kindly waved goodbye with his third finger.

"Fucking douchebag" Puck muttered. Ok, maybe that was harsh, but it was a Saturday morning and Puck's day off and all he wanted to do was watch those dumbass cartoons that he grew up with. But no, fucking Crosby had to call an "urgent meeting with the team" to discuss losses last week. Puck sauntered into the building and noticed a new, sexy face at the secretary desk.

"Well, you're not old, boring Ingrid. What's a pretty little thing like you doing here with all of us?

"I'm Ingrid's replacement, well only for a little while. Ingrid is on maternity leave." hot-stuff responded with a blush.

"She was preggers? Crosby never mentioned that. I just thought she just ate too many of the god-awful hotdogs they sell outside and always came to work bloated." Puck said, wondering why Crosby didn't tell him that Ingrid was pregnant. After all, she is Crosby's wife and he is Crosby's best officer. Puck shrugged as he hoped up to sit on the counter.

"No, no hotdogs. But I hope you're not too upset?" She leaned back in her chair.

"I did have the hots for Ingrid, but you're not too bad." Puck smirked.

"PUCKERMAN! Get your ass into this office boy!" Officer Crosby yelled from his place at the conference room door.

"Alright, alright. I was just trying to welcome the new girl." Puck smiled at the newbie.

"Your welcome is very much appreciated." She smiled at him. Puck began to walk away.

"Oh hey, I didn't catch your name!"

"Quinn. Quinn Fabray."

Rachel jogged up into the grocery store. In just a short amount of time the temperature had dropped significantly. "Guess I'm taking a taxi on the way home" Rachel thought to herself. She wanted to stall as long as possible, so she lingered down the isles just looking. She walked by the eggs and the dairy products about five times before she actually picked some up. Then she wandered around some more, just for good measure. After about an hour in the store she walked up to the counter.

"Good morning Rachel! I see you've finally decided on something!" The cashier Mike greeted her at cash register 27. She met Mike a few years ago at an audition. He was the assistant choreographer and had instantly seen talent in Rachel. The two became fast friends, and they, along with Mike's wife Tina , spend countless hours together. They were the first to know about how awful Finn could be to Rachel. Last month, they even let Rachel stay with them for a few days when things got really bad. Mike lost his job the day after Rachel temporarily moved in, though, so they had to sell their apartment and send Rachel back to hers. Mike recently got a job at the grocery store and Rachel liked to see him whenever she could. He was a god-send, and Rachel really appreciated him.

"Yes I did. I guess my head is in the clouds again." That was code for "Finn is being awful again and I just needed some time away"

"Well, I'm always here to bring you back down to reality" (I'm always here if you need anything) Mike smiled at her sympathetically as he bagged her items.

"I know. And I love you for it." Rachel gave him her 100-watt smile and grabbed her bags.

"Oh hey, tonight is open mic night at the Rave. I'm bringing Tina and Blaine, and Blaine's bringing Kurt and some friends from the station. You should come!"

"I don't know Mike. Finn's off today and he might not want me out tonight."

"Rach, it's Saturday. This thing doesn't start until around 11:00 and it lasts way into the morning. Just come out whenever Finn falls asleep."

"But what if he wakes up and I'm not there? What if he finds out that I was gone? He'll be angry." Rachel bit her lip and stared at the ground.

"Hey, then just ask him. If he says no than we'll just hang out another time. It'll be ok." Mike laid a reassuring arm on her shoulder and didn't notice Rachel wince.

"Alright. I'll ask him. The worst he can do is say no"

"That's the spirit!" Rachel planted a kiss on his cheek and turned to exit the store.

"Oh hey Rachel?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you run by the station and give this to Blaine for me? It's a present for Kurt's birthday. Tina and I will be out of town next week, so I wanted to make sure Blaine had it early."

Mike handed her a package. He wanted her out of her apartment as much as possible, so he usually asked her to run errands for him whenever she stopped by.

"Well, I really should get home. Finn's probably wondering where I am. He was hungry and we needed eggs and I've been gone for almost two hours" Rachel glanced at the door picturing Finn busting through at any moment red in the face and fuming.

"Has he called you yet?"

"No. Oddly enough." Finn always calls and leaves angry voicemails when Rachel does something to upset him.

"Then he's probably asleep. Look, I understand if you don't want to, but you can't live your life afraid." Mike offered a half smile.

"You know what? You're right. I'll take it to the station. Besides, I haven't seen Blaine since Halloween. It'll be good for me.' Rachel smiled up at Mike and took the package.

"Good for you kid. And I'll hopefully see you later."

Puck had been sitting listening to Crosby give updates on NYPD and office changes and all that boring shit that no body fucking cares about, and he was about to flip his lid. He had checked out about half an hour ago when Crosby started discussing the after affects of the riot at the AA meeting last week.

"Puckerman! Wake the fuck up son!" Puck lifted his head off of the desk. "Can you tell me anything I just said?"

"Something about how some batshit crazy alcoholic woman threw a chair at another batshit crazy alcoholic woman and started a bitch fight that went really bad. Look boss, I have more important things to do than listen to stories about drunk women and port-i-potty overflows that cause traffic jams at construction sites."

"Yeah, Crosby can you please get to the real reason why we're here?" Blaine Anderson spoke up from the corner. Puck liked Blaine; he was cool 'cause he didn't hit on him like his boyfriend does whenever they hang out.

"Alright, so listen up. I got the crime report for last month and it's raised a lot. Like we can all loose our job if we don't stop the fights and start busting up the drug deals. And please, no more forgetting to read the Miranda Rights" Crosby shot a pointed look at Sam Evans, the newbie, who had forgotten to read the Miranda Rights a couple of weeks ago and let 4 hardcore dealers get away. He was in a lot of heat from NYPD for it, to say the least.

"So you boys be on the look out. Anything that seems suspicious needs to be reported. Even if it's some old lady reaching into her purse when she's about to walk across the street. Grandma might have a gun"

"Excuse me, Officer Crosby?" Quinn Fabray knocked on the open door.

"Yes Miss Fabray?"

"There's someone here to see Officer Anderson." Blaine looked up from the corner.

"Anderson were you expecting someone?" Crosby glared at him.

"No sir, I'm wasn't. Excuse me a minute" Blaine walked out of the office and into the lobby. Puck felt a heated gaze in his direction and caught Quinn's eye as she winked at him. Oh, yeah. She wanted him.

"Ok, boys, sorry for the disruption. Anyway, if you see anything suspicious..."

Rachel sat on the bench in the lobby of the station. She'd never actually been here before, even though she's known Blaine since he and Kurt started dating back at NYU a few years ago. It always scared her to be in a place where criminals were concentrated.

"Rachel? What an unexpected surprise!" Blaine approached Rachel on the bench.

"Hi! Oh, I haven't seen you in what seems like forever! How have you been?" Rachel hugged Blaine.

"I've been great! Can I ask why you're here? I thought you hated the station?"

"Oh I do, but I saw Mike this morning and he asked me to bring you this." Rachel handed over the package. "It's Kurt's birthday present."

"Oh right! Mike told me he was gonna do this. Thanks for bringing it to me. I'm so bummed that Kurt and I haven't had a chance to see you and Finn lately. How are you guys? Is Finn still working his way up in the corporate world?"

"Oh, um, we're good. Yeah, Finn's been doing really great at his job and what not. He actually has the day off." Rachel looked around nervously, hoping Blaine wouldn't suspect anything.

"Well we'll need to get together sometime. Hey! Are you coming out with tonight? Mike must've told you."

"Oh yeah, I think so, possibly. If I can get away." Rachel glanced at the time on her phone screen. 10:20. Crap. By the time she got home it'd be after 11:00. Three hours since she left Finn. That meant nothing but trouble. "Look, Blaine I have to get going. I'll see you later." Rachel gave Blaine a quick hug and practically flew from the station leaving a very confused and frazzled Blaine.

Puck yawned as he looked out into the hallway and saw Blaine with some short little girl with long, legs, and a fantastic looking ass.

"Yo, Evans. Check out that piece of ass Blaine's talking to." Sam looked over to get a look.

"Damn. Why do all the gay guys get the hot chicks?"

" I don't know but I'm gonna go find out." Puck stood and began to leave.

"Puck, sit your ass down in that chair."Crosby shouted.

"Just going to take a piss sir." Puck stopped at the door

"Oh. Well hurry up." Puck turned to leave just as hot girl with the legs hugged Blaine and sprinted out of the building. Well fuck.

"Hey, yo Blaine! Who was that babe?"

"Oh, hey Puck. That was Rachel. She's a friend of mine."

"You got yourself one hot friend."

"Yeah. Hey look, me, Kurt, Sam, and Rory are meeting up with Mike and a couple of his friends tonight at Rave. You in? You can bring whoever you'd like." Blaine said as he headed back toward the conference room.

"Is Rachel gonna be there?" Puck smirked.

"Very funny. And probably not. I mean, she said maybe but that almost always means no. She's a busy girl."

"I'm sure she is."

Rachel gently turned the key in the apartment lock and slowly turned the knob. She'd been gone for almost 3 1/2 hours (curse that goddamn traffic) and she knew Finn would be upset. As she stepped into the apartment she was met with the sound of ESPN and Finn snoring. A sigh of relief escaped her lips because she knew she was safe this time. Not wanting to take her chances when he wakes up, she slipped off her coat and shoes and headed to the kitchen to make Finn his long-awaited breakfast. Maybe if he saw it there when he got up, he'd think she'd made it for him but he fell asleep before she was through. Rachel fired up the stove-top and prepared to make Finn his eggs. After she'd cracked, scrambled, served, and then placed the eggs in the stove to show Finn later she made her way to the living room to check on him. She walked in and saw him laying there with the most peaceful look on his face. His snores had gotten softer and he looked like the angel of the boy that he was when Rachel first met him. Sweet, kind, loving, gentle Finn. Her Finn. The one who loves her unconditionally no matter how many times she messes up. She planted a light kiss on his forehead and curled up against his side. She lulled off to sleep to his warmth and his snores.


	2. The Angel Face with a Devil's Soul

**Hey everybody! So I'm pretty proud of myself for getting this out in a timely manner. Now I know that this story deals with some tough issues and I promise that I'm trying to handle them as delicately and carefully as possibly. I also know that some people might not like that Finn is kind of villian. I promise that I love Finn and there might possibly be some sort of redemption for him. Although no justification, because his actions can never be justified. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

**Also, I love writing this story but reviews and any sort of feedback/suggestions would be really helpful!**

**I don't own any of the characters, just the story:)**

Finn yawned as he woke up from a deep, and surprisingly restful, sleep. He went to move his arm and noticed that it was trapped by his 5'2 and sound asleep fiance. She was barely moving, the only indication that she was still existing was the rise and fall of her chest. This was the only time she was calm, the only time when she was just merely alive was when she was sleeping. She's a mover and shaker, constantly going and going with little regard to the effect that it has on anyone around her. She was always gone, rehearsing or performing, or interviews or award shows. In three months she'll be filming some movie in Europe meeting all kinds of people and doing all kinds of amazing things, and Finn would be stuck here in New York. Working his crazy hours at his business trying to prove to her that he was capable of being her fiance. It as stressful and she didn't even attempt to care. That's what's been so frustrating these past few months. She never took the time to stop, to pay attention to him. Finn rubbed his hands over his eyes and glanced down at her again. When she was quiet and thinking or keeping to herself she was perfection. She was an angel, she was peaceful and Finn silently wished that she would as least take some time just to be. To just exist. He ran his arm over hers and noticed her wince when he reached her shoulder. He pushed back her hair and was face to face with a big ugly bruise. He felt his stomach churn when he flashbacked to what happened last night. He had been in the kitchen and she was setting the table when everything exploded.

_"You never come see my shows anymore Finn. Why?" Rachel said as she set his plate infront of him_

_"I don't have time to spend at your shows Rachel. I have to work." Finn laid his head in hands already frustrated with the conversation._

_"But Finn, you used to love coming with to my shows! And you know I'm always less nervous when I see a familiar face." Rachel sat down across from him._

_"Rachel, you're surrounded by familiar faces. All of the time. I don't need to be there." Finn said, his voice raising with each word._

_"It's not the same." Rachel said, her voice soft and low, the contrast between the two becoming more and more evident as Finn's demeanor, along with the air, turned very hostile right before her eyes._

_"Well guess what sweetheart? I can't be there all of the time. Do you know I had to fire my secretary the other day? Now I'm going crazy with this new case and I don't have a secretary to keep things straight and in order. I'm a candidate for partnership this spring Rachel, did you know that? No you don't because you're so consumed with you and your damn show and your fucking little perfect Broadway world. So, no, Rachel I can't go to your shows right not. To be honest, I never liked going to your shows. You know why? Because you run around backstage kissing some reporters ass trying to get good reviews, or you running around eye-fucking your damn costar. I hate going to your shows and if I __can somehow manage to never see one again, I would." Finn slammed his fist on the table and somehow during his rant, the entire table had over turned and Rachel had made herself a spot in the corner._

_"I'm sorry. I didn't know. But you can't expect me to know if you don't tell me. Finn you don't tell me things anymore. And I'm sorry, I'm really really sorry that I haven't been around much. It's just, it's going to be time for Tony nominations soon and I really would love to get one again and I-"_

_"There you go with those stupid awards again. As long as we live in this house, I never want to hear you talk about those fucking awards again." Finn gripped her shoulders and glared at her._

_" Finn, you're hurting me." Rachel whispered through her tears._

_"Do you understand me?" Finn shook her._

_"I understand." Rachel said, her voice giving out at the last syllable._

_"Good." Finn let go of her. "Now I'm going to go watch the game down the street with Tony. Make sure this is clean when I get back." Finn grabbed his coat and walked out leaving his distraught and bruised girlfriend in a crumble on the floor._

"Jesus fucking Christ." Finn whispered. He rebuked the tears forming in his eyes and jumped off of the couch. He ran down the hall into his room and reached for his cell. He dialed the familiar number and sat down on the bed. The phone rang three times before he was met with the answering machine.

"Hey, I just wanted to call see how you're doing. Ever since you quit the other day things have been kind of crazy. But I wanted to see if maybe you're up for something tonight? Anyway, give me a call. Bye Q."

Rachel sighed as she was woken up but her body falling off the couch.

"Ugh." Rachel groaned as she landed on her side. The apartment was filled with silence. Figuring that Finn had left, Rachel headed to her room to get ready for tonight. She had made up her mind about going, and God help her if her ghost of a boyfriend got in her way. She was determined to have fun if it killed her, which in the reality of the situation, it might get her seriously injured. As she got closer to her room she heard a voice. Finn.

"I wanted to call to see if you're up for something tonight. Anyway, give me a call. Bye Q." Rachel clutched her stomach and squeezed her eyes shut. Who in the world would Finn be making plans with named Q? That didn't make since. The only person with the initial Q who she knew was Quinton their doorman. Now Finn occasionally hung out with him, but only if one of his business friends wasn't available. Strange. Rachel shrugged it off and walked inside.

"H-hi Finn. How was your nap?" Rachel walked timidly up to their bed and sat down.

"Hi, baby! It was great. How about yours? You looked so peaceful sleeping there. I hope I didn't wake you." Finn's eyes were full of kindness and love. Rachel hadn't seen those eyes in a very long time.

"Um, it was nice. I didn't know I was so tired." Rachel avoided Finn's last statement. Moments like this with Finn were few and far between, and she wanted to soak it all up.

"Listen, Rach. I want to apologize for screaming at you. I'm just stressed out at work and stuff. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. That wasn't fair." Finn stroked the top of her head gently and opened his arms to her.

"Oh. It's alright Finn. I just didn't know things had gotten so crazy at work for you. You should tell me these things, I'm here to lighten your load, not make your burden heavier. I'm sorry too." Rachel climbed into his lap and rested her head on his shoulder. This was her Finn. The Finn who she loved more than anything else. The Finn who loved her in return. The only person to ever truly love her, save for her parents.

"Well. I'm glad that you feel that way. I was thinking, that maybe I could could go to your next show. I haven't been in a while."

"Oh Finn would you? That would make me so happy! The show's gotten much better than the last time you saw, on account of my co-star's been replaced with someone who takes the role of the Beast seriously. You'll just love it!" Rachel clapped her hands excitedly.

"What show is it again? It's been so long, I can't even begin to remember."

"It's Beauty and the Beast Finn. There are billboards and sign all over Time Square. You make fun of Mrs. Potts every time the commercial comes on t.v. When I'm sick you sing me the title song. You don't remember?" Rachel scooted off of his lap to look into his eyes. As much as she wanted to savor the moment, she couldn't help but feel hurt by his lack of memory.

"Rachel. I have a lot to keep up with at work. How in the world do you expect me to remember every little detail about your life?" Finn sat up straight and glowered at Rachel.

"I didn't think asking you to remember what I do for a living is too much. I'm sorry I expected that from you." Rachel's eyes were downcast as her pulse quickened. This is when it starts. This is when it all goes downhill. She had no way of knowing how close he was to the edge other than staring him straight in the eye, daring him to make his next move, so she lifted her eyes bravely and met his gaze. Finn's eyes turned from a cloudy shade of gray to his natural warm shade of brown and leaned down and kissed her, as if their prior conversation was about nothing more than the headline story in that mornings paper. His kiss was long and heated and full of passion and anger. Finn seemed to want to get out all of his emotions in that one searing kiss. He pulled back almost an eternity later leaving a very dazed and a out of breath Rachel.

"W-what was that for?" Rachel stammered completely confused.

"Can't a guy kiss his girlfriend?" Finn smirked.

"Well, yeah. Of course he can."

"Good." Finn's phone buzzed and he checked his messages. "Oh, hey, I'm gonna go hang out with Tony tonight. Will you be alright here?"

"I wanted to ask you about that. Mike, you remember Mike right?" Finn nodded. "Good. Well he invited me out with him and Tina and Kurt and Blaine and some of their friends tonight. They wanted to see if you could come, but if you're going with Tony..."

"Yeah, sure go ahead. Have some fun. Look I don't know what time I'll be in tonight so don't wait up."

"I'm not sure when I'll be in either. We're going to that fun karaoke place we used to go to all of the time when you first moved here!" Rachel said excitedly.

"oh? That's nice babe. Look I'll see ya later ok?" Finn grabbed his coat.

"Ok." Rachel offered a small smile.

"Bye." Finn kissed her temple and ran off, out to spend time with his friends. Rachel texted Mike to let him know she'd gotten the aproval. He texted back with a "**GREAT! Ur gonna hav fun. I promise**". Rachel walked into her bathroom and started a bath. She poured in some bath salts that she got in a gift bag at some party for her show, and sunk herself into the tub. Right when she started to get wrinkly a little while later, she lifted herself out of the tub. She wrapped herself in a towel and padded out of the bathroom to her closet. She opened to door and went to her go-to karaoke outfit. Her red fitted dress. It was Finn's favorite and she loved it to. Wanting to go for a more casual look, she paired it with her studded black sandals. Accessories were minimal, just a simple bracelet and a silver pendent that stopped right above her exposed chest. She went back to the bathroom just to put a little make-up, eyes lightened with a touch of black liner, tined pink lip gloss, and a bronze blush just over the apples of her cheeks. She sprayed a hint of her favorite vanilla scented perfume. She fired up her curling iron and added a curl to the tips of her long locks. Rachel stared at her reflection in the mirror and admired herself. She really was beautiful. This high sense of self esteem had become Rachel's favorite accessory. When she first moved to the city eight years ago she thought nothing of her looks; she knew she was attractive but not a knock-out. It's surprising what a few Broadway roles will do to a person. After a moment Rachel exited the bathroom, grabbed purse and her phone, and almost flew out of the room...until she noticed the clock in the hallway that only showed the time to be 6:30. Karaoke night didn't start until after 10:30. Not getting out much definitely overexcites people. Rachel set down her purse and slipped off her shoes. She walked into her kitchen and pulled out the leftover Chinese from the night before and heated in up the microwave. She glanced at the wine bottle in the fridge and figured there was no harm in starting early. She grabbed the bottle, a glass, and her food and situated herself on the couch in front of the TV. Four hours of a mindless activity didn't sound too bad.

Puck stepped into the club with a critical eye. It wasn't really a club. It was more like a dive. Which was strange for this area. How many dives do you find on the Lower East Side? Anyway, the dive's patrons definitely reflected the area. They all were upstanding New Yorkers who had cushy jobs compared to his as an officer. But hey, it's noble work and it gets the job done. Puck scanned the crowd and couldn't find Blaine so he headed to the bar for a drink. After he placed his order he turned and looked toward what he thought was the dance floor. He spotted a medium sized man wearing a fedora with a peacock feather. Kurt. The bartender handed Puck his beer and he went to search for his friend.

"Kurt!" Puck yelled over the music. "KURT!"

"What? Puck! Hey! Hey buddy! Blaine didn't think you were coming! But I knew you would. I knew you'd want to exercise those chops with your best friends.!" Kurt said excitedly still bopping around to the music. Puck took notice of the slight slur of his words.

"Ok lightweight. Why don't you show me where Blaine is?" Puck grabbed Kurt by the shoulders and guided him out of the crowd. Once they were on the other side of the throng of people, it was easy to spot Blaine.

"BLAINE! Blaine I found Puck!" Kurt ran over to Blaine and hugged him.

"I see that! Hey man, how are you?" Blaine smiled at Puck.

"Good. I'm good. Kinda made a last minute decision to come out tonight. But I figured why not?"

"We're very glad that you did. Mike! Tina! Puck's here?" Blaine motioned for Mike and Tina to come over.

"Hey how are you guys?" Puck smirked.

"We're great! How are you? What's new"

"I'm good. Nothing new, just fighting crime and keeping ya'lls asses safe everyday. Nothing special" Puck took a swig of his beer. "So who's ready for some karaoke?"

"Oh, oh I am!" Kurt jumped up an down and clapped his hands. "I already signed us all up for something! Even you Puck!"

"Hummel I didn't plan on singing. I just want to relax and watch you all embarrass your drunk selves." Puck sat and leaned back in his chair.

"Oh no Puckerman. You are gonna sing. And you are gonna like it." Blaine shot a pointed look in Puck's direction.

"One song. I'll sing one song. But that's it."

"Alright everybody! Time to get tonight started!" The MC for the night hopped up on the stage. "First on the list, Mr. Noah Puckerman singing Sweet Caroline."

Puck glared at the table. "Oh hell no."

"You promised you'd sing once. Just get it out of the way!"Kurt slurred happily sipping his drink.

"Fine. But you're not filming this."

"Oh yes we are." Mike whipped out his iPhone and waved it in Puck's face.

"Well damn. You just want to ruin my life." Puck said bitterly

"Noah Puckerman? Noah Puckerman to the stage." The MC shouted.

"Yeah I'm coming, I'm coming." Puck gulped down his beer and started for the stage. He got to his destination and jumped onto the stage. He smirked when he heard the appreciative noises from the women in the crowd.

"Hello everybody. So I don't really want to do this but-" Puck stopped short when he saw a flash of red catch his eye. She was standing with her back to him, but he still caught the way the fabric hugged her ass and her legs seemingly went on for miles. Her hair hung loosely down her back in curls. Puck had a thing for curls, but he could've sworn he'd seen her before. Well, at least her legs and her ass before. Puck was brought back to his audience when he heard Kurt yell "Just sing the damn song!"

Puck smiled at the audience and hopped to God that mystery bar girl was listening.

**"Where it began, I can't begin to know when. But that I know it's growing strong..."  
**

Rachel shifted back and forth on her feet at the bar. She'd only been here for ten minutes and had already suffered the leers of many old men. She loved the Rave, but it could attract some questionable people. All she wanted was a drink and all she'd gotten so far were propositions to meet said old men in the back alley. No thank you.

"Hey sweetheart how can I help you?" the bartender approached her. Rachel looked up and smiled.

"Will! How are you?" Rachel leaned over the bar to hug her favorite bartender Will Schuester.

"I'm doing very well. How's my favorite singer?"

"She's fabulous. Oh it has been ages since I've seen you. I haven't been to the good old Rave in months!" Rachel hopped on a bar stool eager to chat. Will was a bartender and manager of the Rave. When Rachel first came here she was so desperate to find a part-time job but no one was hiring. One day on her back to campus she saw a sign in the Rave window asking for singers. She jumped at the chance and Will hired her on the spot. She was the spotlight singer on Tuesday and Thursday nights. It was all above board, though, because no alcohol was served Tuesday and Thursday. She worked there until she got her first stage job. However, she always made it a point to see Will at least once a week. She felt nothing but guilt after having going months without seeing him.

"Well we've missed you. How about I make you your special drink, Berry Blitz?" Will winked at her.

"I think that will be perfect. You make the best Blitz'es. "Rachel smiled.

"Well, I am the only one who makes them!"

"Then I guess you make the worst ones as well." Rachel laughed. Will followed with his chuckle and proceeded to make her drink. She had no clue what was in it, but it was delicious and she trusted that will didn't put poison or anything remotely disgusting in it. Rachel turned her attention to the cup holders and arranged them in color order. It was standard practice. Suddenly Rachel's ear perked up. The opening lines of Sweet Caroline were being sung...and it was beautiful. Rachel likes to think she's a good critic of singers, particularly singers of this song. It was her dad's favorite and Caroline was her middle name because of it. The song meant everything to her, her dad used to sing it when she had trouble sleeping, and seeing as he's not around anymore makes it that much more sentimental. But this boy was very good. Rachel turned on her stool and was almost instantly connected to his eyes. He was staring at her, like he was trying to reach her soul. For the next three minutes every part of Rachel was consumed by this musically inclined stranger. When he finished he gave a subtle nod in her direction, which every girl in the audience seemed to think it was for them exclusively. He jumped off of the stage and disappeared into the throng of tipsy girls who looked like they wanted to jump him.

"You like him huh?" Will nudged her with her drink.

" Yeah. Well, his voice. I like his voice. He's very gifted" Rachel said matter-of-fact as she accepted his drink.

"Oh of course. Just his voice is appealing." Will winked at her as he wiped down the counter.

"Yes of course. I would be just as content to listen to him wearing a blind fold, thank you very much." Rachel lifted her chin and sipped her drink.

"But you'd rather listen to him without your eyes covered." Will countered.

"Fine. Yes, the Sweet Caroline singer has a beautiful voice and is very handsome. Are you happy?"

"I don't know about the bartender, but I sure am." The Sweet Caroline singer appeared next to Rachel with a smirk. "Hi. I'm Noah Puckerman. My friends call me Puck. But I'll go by anything you want to call me, especially if you're screaming."

"Do you always make it a point to be so forward?" Rachel said crossing her legs on her stool.

"Only if the women I'm talking to are beautiful. Or drunk. They don't really have to be beautiful if they're willing."

"That is an extremely horrid thing to say! I cannot believe that in this day and age men can be so incredibly objectifying to women! It's preposterous and absurd and I refused to be treated that way Mr., Mr.,. I'm sorry, what was it again?" Rachel looked quizzically at him.

"Puckerman. Noah Puckerman. My friends call me Puck. That's what started this whole thing." Puck raised his eyebrows. This girl somehow managed to be completely wacked yet insanely hot at the same time. Who knew this feminist shit turned him on?

"Right. I'm sorry. Mr. Puckerman. And that's another thing. You have a perfectly good Jewish name. Why go by the awful name of Puck? It's terrible and it doesn't suit you're musical persona at all. Granted, it definitely helps your womanizing side." Rachel stirred her drink with her straw and took a sip.

"I'm sorry if I've offended you. But let me ask you a question. How did you know that I'm Jewish?" Puck took a seat next Rachel.

"Are you serious? You look Jewish and your last name is Puckerman. It was a dead giveaway." Rachel turned to face him.

"Ok, fine. I'll give you that. So, who are you here with? A pretty girl like doesn't usually go out alone." Puck said casually signaling Will for another beer.

"Oh I'm not alone Mr. Puckerman. I'm here with...several dates actually." Rachel followed Puck's suit and signaled Will for another Berry Blitz.

"I never would've pegged you for that kinda girl." Puck took a swig of his beer.

"Don't judge a book by its cover. And with that, I should probably go and find my dates. It was...interesting meeting you Mr. Puckerman."

"Hey! You wanna tell me your name?"

"Not particularly." Rachel gave Will a quick hug and in return he handed her another Blitz. She hopped down off of the bar stool and shot Puck one final look before disappearing into the crowd. Puck noticed the hug of course and looked at Will.

"You wouldn't happen to have been one of her dates would you Schue?" Puck raised his eyebrows.

"One of Rachel's dates? I should be so lucky." Will said cleaning out one of Rachel's glasses.

"Rachel huh?" Puck rolled the name off of his tongue. It felt right. Like he should be saying over and over again. "And why is it such a lucky thing to date her?"

"For one thing there's plenty of guys who want her. She's beautiful and successful. She's on Broadway you know? She's done some movies and stuff. She's even heading off in a few months to shot some action thriller. Or is it a romantic comedy? I don't know what she's doing these days. She's so busy. Plus, she's got personal things that you don't want to get involved in. And if you did get involved it'll be bad for both of you. Especially her." Will stopped and stared Puck in the eye.

"What kind of personal things?" Puck leaned forward on his elbows.

"Personal things that I'm not gonna tell you. Rachel doesn't even know that I know. But I'm telling you, she's attached to some pretty powerful people in this city. People who could make a police officer's life a living hell."

"Jesus Will. It's just a little flirting. Besides, I'm not the kinda guy to get serious." Puck leaned back . "Powerful people huh?

"Puck. I saw the way you were looking at her. Harmless flirting is never safe with her. Trust me." Will said and turned to his other costumers. Puck looked over his shoulder back at the spot where Rachel had left. Even though Schuester seems to think otherwise, it was just harmless flirting. Nothing more. But knowing that Rachel was dangerous made her that much more enticing and getting into her pants challenging. And Puck loves a challenge.


	3. Jump then Fall

**So this was orginally a part of the last ch. but I felt that it was way too long so I cut it in half. So think of it more as ch. 2 1/2. Anyway I'm not too fond of this one but I feel like it gives you a feelin gof the vibe between Puck and Rachel and just sort of establishing their relationships. And yes, Will plays a huge role in the story, and no he is not the Mr. Schue the 30-something yr. old teacher. He's Puck's age, so 28-29ish. And I know there's a lot of info at the end but I felt that it was needed. **

**Review, Review, Review!**

**I don't own the characters:( I do own the story:)**

"RACHEL!" Kurt screamed as Rachel approached the table.

"Hi! Oh it's been so long since I've seen you!" Kurt grabbed Rachel and pulled her into a hug,

"Rachel, don't you dare try and go a month without seeing me. I will inflict serious damage on your wardrobe if you do." Kurt eyed Rachel.

"I can't promise, but I'll definitely try. Tina!" Rachel gave Tina a squeeze. "How've you been?"

"I've been fantastic! But what about you? Mike told me he saw you this morning." Tina gave Rachel a knowing look.

"I'm fine Tina. Today was actually a good day." Rachel genuinely smiled.

"Well good. I'm glad." Tina smiled back.

"Hey munchkin we were beginning to think you wouldn't show up!" Mike and Blaine walked up to the table and Rachel hugged them both.

"I got a little tied up talking to Will at the bar. I haven't seen him in such a long time."

"You haven't seen any of us in a long time." Blaine gave her a sad smile.

"Don't be silly. I saw you and Mike just this morning. And I see Mike every time I go to the store!" Rachel took a sip of her temporarily forgotten drink.

"You know what he means Rachel. You haven't hung out with any of us." Mike laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I've just been very busy. I think I'll be able to hang out with you guys mor-"

"Well, well, well. Rachel. Long time no see huh?" Rachel turned around to see Puck standing there.

"Mr. Puckerman. What can I so for you now? Give you another lecture about objectifying women?" Rachel folded her hands on the table.

"No I'm still full on your last lecture. I just came to sit by my friends when I saw a leggy brunette in red dress over here and I just knew it was you. My question is, what are you doing over here?" Puck sat down next to Mike.

"Why Mr. Puckerman! These are my dates!" Rachel smiled and sipped her drink.

"These are your dates? These people right here?" Puck said flabergasted

"Um, yes. They are. Are you telling me that these are your friends?"

"Yes I am."

"I'm lost." Blaine chimed in. "You two have met before?"

"Oh yes. We've known each for...twenty minutes? Would you agree with that estimate Mr. Puckerman?" Rachel looked at Puck.

"I'd have to agree Rachel." Puck smiled at her. This girl was all kinds of crazy awesome hotness.

"Interesting." Kurt wiggled his eyesbrows at Rachel.

"Hey hey hey! Behave Hummel."Mike tossed a straw in Kurt's direction.

"Now it's my turn to ask the questions. How do you all know each other?" Rachel looked around at the face at the table.

"Puck works with me. He came on the team about 3 months ago. Oh, right around the time when the famous Rachel Berry got even more famous and abandoned us for fancy parties and champagne instead of this crappy dive and its even crappier beer." Blaine teased.

"Ok, ok. I've been a bad friend. I know." Rachel swatted Blaine's hand. "So I guess instead of Mr. Puckerman I should call you Officer Puckerman, right?" Rachel turned her attention to Puck.

"It's like I told you. You can call me anything but some other bastard's name. And you'll get more points if you do it while screaming." Puck smirked.

"You have absolutely no class whatsoever. It's shocking really, how immature and offensive you are." Rachel shook her head. She'd never met anyone this bold and crass before.

"And yet, the ladies still come knocking and you're still here, talking to me." Puck stretched his arm off so it rested behind Rachel's shoulder.

"Incredible. You must lead such a fascinating life. Fight crime in the mornings and sleeping with as many women as you can in one night. It must be wonderful." Rachel said sarcastically.

"It is pretty sweet. And I'm sure it's more fun than singing and dancing all day long on stage like a fucking show pony." Puck responded.

"Where do you get all of this information. First my name, now my occupation. Officer Puckerman, do you use your position to stalk people?"

"Of course not. I just get it from the bartender. I hear they're great people to make friends with." Puck winked at her,

"You're impossible." Rachel laughed. All the while this exchange didn't escape the little group at the other end of the table. Whenever Rachel was happy they paid attention. And she was definitely happy now.

"I don't mean to interrupt your conversation, but it's an open mic for karaoke. Rachel, you wanna sing with me?" Blaine asked slipping out of his seat and extending his hand to Rachel.

"I'd love to." Rachel accepted his hand and rushed to the stage.

"You are in for a treat Puckerman! Rachel's an amazing performer." Kurt slurred next to him.

"I'm sure she is." Pucked reclined in his chair and took a sip of his beer as Rachel and Blaine climbed the stage.

"Hey everybody! I'm Rachel Berry and this is my friend Blaine Anderson and we're gonna be singing our favorite song! Are you ready?"

"YES!" The crowd responded. The music started and Blaine and Rachel grabbed their mics and stopped center stage. Blaine broke out into the familiar lyrics to Don't You Want Me. As he as singing, Puck was completely fixated on Rachel. She wasn't singing, just dancing along to the music, but she was captivating. Blaine was great, but Rachel just lit up on stage. Puck had known her for half an hour and already felt like he knew her. When she began to sing during the chorus Puck almost fell over dead. It was a fast upbeat song, but he could tell her voice had depth. It was legit. For the rest of the song Puck's eyes didn't leave Rachel for a second. She was so invested in her performance. So in tune with the song, yet having so much fun at the same time. When the song was finished the audience gave them a roaring applause. Even though they were drunk Puck knew that Rachel could garner that kind of reaction from completely sober people.

"So Officer Puckerman, what did you think?" Rachel suddenly appeared and sat down next to Puck.

"You were amazing. So were you Blaine." Puck nodded in Blaine's direction. "But you were really good."

"Thank you very much officer. I appreciate it." Rachel noticed her empty glass. "Oh stink. My glass is empty."

"THAT SUCKS! SO RAISE YOUR GLASS IF YOU'RE ALL-" Kurt jumped up and started screaming.

"Kurt sit down and stop embarrassing yourself." Blaine said pulling Kurt down.

"And everyone else at the table." Tina remarked receiving a laugh from the group.

"Anyway, my glass is empty. I'm gonna go grab another drink. Does anyone want anything?"

" None for me thanks. I've had enough." Tina rubbed her temples.

"Just another beer Rach." Mike said pushing his empty bottle towards the middle of the table.

"Gimme mo', gimme mo'!" Kurt shot up.

"Oh no you don't. You are beyond wasted. The only thing you're drinking from now on is water." Blaine sighed. "But I'll take another beer Rachel."

"Ok. Officer Puckerman? Would you like something?"

"Yeah. But I'll just go with you." Puck got up and followed Rachel.

"So what did you really think of my performance?" Rachel asked as they walked to the bar.

"I told you what I thought. You were incredible."

"You really meant that?" Rachel looked at him questionably.

"I'm not a liar Rachel." Puck grabbed her gently by the shoulder to stop her. "I don't lie. Ever."

Rachel stared up at him. "Please let go of me." Rachel said gently. "That hurts Noah." Rachel whispered.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to grab you that hard." Puck rubbed her shoulder.

" You didn't. My shoulder's just pretty sore. Dance rehearsals today were really bad."

"You want me to massage it? I'm a great massager!" Puck smiled and reached for her shoulder.

" No! Please, don't touch me." Rachel flinched away from him. "Hi Will! Wanna fill up my cup again?" Rachel smiled approaching the bar. "I also need a couple of beers for my dates!" Rachel laughed as she looked back at Puck who offered a smile.

"Hey Rach, why don't you go look through the karaoke book and sing again? You were a success the first time!" Will said.

"Ok!" Rachel hurried off to find the karaoke book and sign up for another round.

"What was that all about?" Will asked Puck who plopped down on the bench.

"What?"

"That thing with Rachel." Will began mixing Rachel's drink and handed Puck a beer.

"I just touched her shoulder but she was pretty sore from dance rehearsal today and stuff so I guess I hurt her. I didn't mean to though!" Puck said feeling as if he was put on the defensive.

"Puck. You need to lay off her. You're coming on too strong. You just met her tonight."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Puck chuckled.

"I'm not stupid. I know you like Rachel. But you met her a couple hours ago. And has she told you anything about herself?"

"No. Not really. Everything I really know about her came from you." Puck took a sip of his drink.

"And why do you think she didn't tell you anything personal?" Will said, stopping what he was doing to sit across from Puck.

"Because she's not talkative?" Puck guessed.

"Rachel is nothing but talkative. It's because she's careful. She's guarded and a little bit jaded. She has a lot of perso-"

"Personal shit yeah you told me like an hour ago. I got it. It's just harmless flirting."

"Harmless flirting? Right. You just keep telling yourself that. The fact is, you've been fixed on Rachel all night. You're gonna go home and think about her. And then you're gonna want to see her again. Rachel can get under your skin until you just can't handle it anymore and then you explode. You burst with your feelings for her. And then you want her more than air. No, you need her more than air. But see, Rachel doesn't let people in very easily. She also doesn't tell you things about her personal life. She doesn't flirt. What she was doing tonight with you, that wasn't flirting. That was Rachel being Rachel. You think she's leading you on, but she's just being herself. And you think, "this girl loves me" and then you start to pursue her even more. But then it all comes back to bite you in the ass. Because you get wrapped up into her personal shit and realize how jacked up things can be with her. It messes you up. I don't want to see you get hurt. But I really don't want to see her get hurt. This will cause more pain and greif to her than you. So back off." Will said.

"You were really tied up in this girl huh?"

"More than you or she will ever know. To this day she has no clue about what happened. And she won't know, because I won't let her find out. Once you care about Rachel, you always care about her." At that moment Puck and Will turned their attention to the stage when they heard Rachel's voice.

"This song goes out to my brand new friend, Officer Puckerman!" Rachel winked in his direction and Puck smiled.

"Don't go in to deep Puckerman. I'm only giving you one warning."

"Ok Will. I got it. Keep things friendly with Rachel. I got it." Puck said absentmindedly. Rachel was singing Go Your Own Way. And it was pretty hot. As she danced and shook and maneuvered around the stage, Puck couldn't help but wonder how someone so small, so beautiful, so full of wit and life and fun, could have such a terrible story. He vowed he would find out, get closer to her. Because Will made it sound like Rachel was in danger. And Puck felt this weird need to protect her. Like it was his job to make sure she was ok. Not just now but all of the time.

"Jesus Puckerman. Stop acting like a pussy." Puck chugged the rest of his drink and was sucked into the rest of Rachel's performance.


	4. Halfway to Destiny

**So I wasn't going to continue this story, but after the encouragement of some reviewers and new ideas popping into my head I decided to continue.**

**I don't own the character, only the story:)**

**Enjoy! Feedback is appreciated!**

"Did you see that Noah?" Rachel said as she rushed back to the bar. "THREE encores! I just love the sound of applause." Rachel said as she sunk into the bar stool next to Puck. Will gave him a warning glance.

"Yeah. Yeah Rachel I saw. Maybe we should head back over to Blaine and them." Puck said standing.

"They didn't tell you?" Rachel said as she twirled her straw around in her cup.

"Didn't tell me what?" Puck asked quizzically.

" They left about ten minutes ago. I saw them walk over this way."

"They did tell you Puck. You even said goodbye." Will remarked with a hint of annoyance. This guy was falling hard-and fast.

"Oh. I guess I was just so caught up in your crazy performance. I mean, what was up with that country accent you've got going on there?" Puck smiled as he reclaimed his seat next to Rachel.

"I'll have you know, Officer, that I Cain't Say No is one of the most known songs from the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic Oklahoma! Which, by the way, was my big break in show business. I even won a Tony for my portrayal of Laurie. Granted, the character of Annie sings that song. But still, I execute it perfectly." Rachel pouted and brought her straw to her lips. She chugged the liquid down in seconds.

"Slow down there cowgirl. I think you've had enough." Will picked up her glass and replaced it with water.

"But, I was still drinking!" Rachel exclaimed, a tad bit louder than usual.

"Rachel, your second encore was a random, albeit thrilling rendition of Prince Ali from Aladdin. I think you're suffering from a state of what we normal folks call drunkeness." Will noted as he paused his systematic cleaning.

"Oh. Well I do love those Disney classics. Anyway, I probably should go home. After all, Finn might be waiting for me." Rachel sipped her water.

"Who's Finn?" Puck asked suspiciously.

"Finn's my boyfriend." Rachel smiled. "He's great. I think you'd like him!" Rachel occupied herself with her water bottle.

"I told you. The flirting was not flirting. That girl is tethered to Finn. I swear she turns into mush around him. It's disgusting." Will whispered to Puck.

"Well fan-fucking-tastic." Puck looked at Will. "You don't have to be so smug about it asshole."

"Rachel you want me to get a cab ready for you?" Will asked turning the conversation back to Rachel.

"No that's alright. I think the walk will do me good." Rachel hopped off of her school.

"Let me walk you home. You're kind of drunk and I would hate to show up at the office tomorrow hearing about some beautiful girl who got jumped or taken advantage of."

"Alright. You may walk me home Officer. But, this is strictly business. You are nothing more than my security guard." Rachel said.

"Yes m'am." Puck saluted.

"Goodnight Will. I promise I'll come by to see you soon!" Rachel hugged Will and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Ok man. See you later." Will pulled Puck into a bro-hug. "You're treading dangerous water Puckerman."

"Good thing I know how to swim." Puck returned the hug.

"Officer, you're already turning out to be a terrible security guard." Rachel said impatiently.

"I'm sorry Ms. Berry. Let's go." Puck guided Rachel out of the bar. "Lead the way."

"It's only a few blocks this way." Rachel charged forward to the left.

"Toward the Upper East Side? Ms. Berry, would you mind telling me just how successful you are?" Puck said as he followed Rachel.

"Oh you know. Three Tony awards. A few Drama Desks, a couple of Emmy nods for guest spots. A globe, and hopefully an Oscar nod for my next movie. It's sort of a action slash romantic comedy deal that I'm doing with Chris Hemsworth. It'll come out next year. So not in time for this coming Oscar's, but the next one."

"You're doing a movie with Thor?" Puck asked. This girl was seriously legit.

"Yeah." Rachel giggled. "Don't tell anybody, but I prefer Chris Evans. There's just something about Captain America. I mean, he's a hero but he's not like Thor or Iron Man or Hulk. He's a soldier. I don't know what it is. I just like him."

"I'm more of a D.C. Guy, but Marvel's alright too." Puck grinned.

"I just don't like Superman." Rachel countered. Puck stopped dead in his tracks.

"Hold on. You don't like Superman? How un-American can you be?" Puck gripped his heart.

"I'm so un-American that my favorite superhero is Captain America." Rachel said laughing at Puck's antics.

"You were all kinds of awesome until you dropped that piece of news."

"I'm sorry you were disappointed. But I was raised on Cap and Batman. There was no room for Superman." Rachel shrugged.

"You are seriously weird." Rachel's face fell. "But I like it. I like that you go against the norm, ya know? It's cool." Puck reassured her.

"Thanks. I guess I've always gone against the norm." Rachel continued walking.

"How so?" Puck took advantage of the moment as he caught up to her. Will said Rachel didn't divulge her personal life. He didn't know if it was the alcohol or her trust in him that made her spill, but he wasn't gonna think too hard about that.

"Well I was raised by my gay dads. I've been performing since I was 12 months old. I always knew what I wanted and where I wanted to go. When I graduated high-school I didn't hesitate about coming to New York. I knew Broadway was my future, even though everyone from my little cow town believed in living there your whole life. I moved here and began working and going to school and taking outside dance classes. I made it. And when you live in Lima, Ohio, you're not supposed to "make it" anywhere other than as a principal or an accountant." Rachel said looking anywhere but Puck's face.

"You must be a pretty extraordinary person Rachel Berry."

"Can I trade you a secret for a secret?" Rachel said suddenly.

"Sure"Puck's voice faltered. She was opening up to him. In a matter of hours Rachel trusted him more than she had trusted Will after years of knowing him.

"I'm scared of being normal. Of blending in." Rachel bit her lip. "I always told people that I'd be fine if I had to stay in Lima. I told them that I could do anything and if that meant taking a job in Lima and staying there, than I could do it. But it was a lie. I'm terrified of being like them. Every time I step foot in that town I feel my bones rattle. My brain is telling me to stay where it's safe, but my heart is screaming for me to make the visit as short as possible and hop back here. To the city where I belong."

"You're something else." Puck chuckled.

"Thank you. Now it's your turn. What's your secret? Oh look My building!" Rachel grabbed Puck's hand and ran across the street to her apartment.

"This is some fancy place Berry." Puck admired the East Side building. Nothing like his little apartment on the West Side.

"Thanks. Finn's a lawyer. It's his paycheck that let us afford this. Of course, I'm just as equipped financially should anything happen to his job now that I'm a full time famous actress." Rachel said matter-of-fact.

"Well it's very nice. I'll see you later Rachel." Puck turned to walk away.

"Oh no you don't! You still have to tell me your secret."

"You don't want to know my secret."

"I do. I really do. Please tell me." Rachel pleaded.

"OK. But you better not run off when I tell you."

" I won't."

"I mean it." Puck looked her dead in the eye.

"Do I really mean that much to you? You did just meet me." Rachel teased.

"Yes, you do."

"Oh."

"I want to kiss you."

"Excuse me?"

"I want to kiss you. That's my secret. I want to grab you and kiss you and possibly never let you go." Puck sputtered.

"Oh."

"In fact. I think I just might..." Puck leaned in to kiss her.

"No, Noah. We can't. I have a boyfriend." Rachel said, with a trace of sadness.

"I'm sorry. You better not fall off of the edge of the earth like you promised."

"Noah. I like you. You're very crass and rude, but I like you . You keep me entertained and I like that. I'm not just going to fall off the earth. But I am going to have to bid you goodnight. So, goodnight Officer Puckerman." Rachel took a step back. "Thank you for being the perfect escort." Rachel opened the door to her building and left Puck with a huge smile and a small wave. Perfection. Rachel Berry was perfection. And this Finn guy wasn't a threat. Just a hurdle. Because in that very moment Puck vowed to make Rachel Berry his.

"Slow down Puckerman. You've known her for a couple of hours. No need to rush down the aisle." Puck talked himself down off of his love cloud and pushed all those sentimental feelings aside. Rachel Berry would be a good lay. That's all that this meant. And once he had her, he could move on.

Rachel walked through the lobby of her building and to the elevator. She rode all the way to the 45th floor. When she got to her apartment she unlocked it and quietly opened the door. She slipped off her shoes and bent down to pick them up. She tip-toed through her apartment to her kitchen. She opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. Rachel leaned up against her counter and glanced at the clock on her oven. 4:00 A.M. Rachel smiled and she gulped the rest of her water. She hadn't stayed out that late in forever. It felt good. She felt free almost. Like that 21 year old girl who would run around the city with her best friend and incredible boyfriend. Laughing and joking and getting drunk out of their minds. She remembered the first night in the city with Finn. He was so excited and captivated by the bright lights of the New York City. His smile was just as bright. She'd never been more in love with him then she was in that moment. Everything just felt right. Perfect. Rachel capped her water and tossed in the recycling bin. She took her shoes into her bedroom and was met with Finn's soft snores. He had his laptop open and his briefcase was laying on their bed. Even after hanging out with Tony he still wanted to get work done. He really was a hard worker, just like she is. It's one of the things she loves best about him. His work ethic. She shut his computer and his briefcase and set both items on the floor next to the bed. She laid a kiss on his temple and walked into her bathroom. Rachel pulled her dress over her head and placed it in her laundry basket. She scrubbed her face and brushed out the curl in her hair. She walked out of the closet and over to her dresser. She contemplated wearing one of Finn's shirts, but since he was actually in bed this time she wouldn't need his clothes to feel close to him. She slipped on a pair of shorts and a tank top. She climbed into bed next to Finn.

"Goodnight love. Sweet dreams" Rachel whispered in his ear and settled against his side.

Puck sipped his coffee as he watched Sam Evans and Matt Rutherford goof around in the office. Matt tossed Sam the rubber ball and as Sam jumped up to catch it he crashed in the filing cabinets.

"Idiots." Puck muttered as he rubbed his eyes. Two hours of sleep just doesn't cut it anymore.

"Well hello there Officer Puckerman. I trust you're doing well this morning?" Puck looked up from his mug and saw Quinn standing there.

"Hello yourself. How are you doing?"

"I've had better days. I've been in since 4:00 this morning working with Officer Crosby. He wanted me to learn the ropes or something. I just don't understand why I had to be called in at 4:00. I need my sleep you know?" Quinn complained as Puck flashed back to what he was doing at 4:00 this morning.

_Rachel slipped inside her building. Puck stuffed his hands in his coat and trudged toward his own building on the other side of town. He tried to push all thoughts of Rachel out of his head. Which proved to be difficult because she was arguably the most amazing girl he's ever met. Puck's thoughts led him to Quinn, the gorgeous secretary at his office. She was smart and funny and pretty. But not like Rachel. Rachel was an unconventional beauty. She was sexy and intelligent and witty as hell. Quinn tried to put up a professional front, but he saw through that when he first met her. She was a party girl, a wild child. She was coy; She was the type of girl who thought that if she batted her lashes just enough she'd get whatever she wanted. Rachel was refined and sophisticated. She was a go-getter and worked to get what she wanted. But Quinn was more his speed. Plus, he was pretty sure that she didn't have a boyfriend._

"Puck? Did you hear me?" Quinn asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I was just distracted." Puck winked at her.

"I asked if you'd want to go to 21 with me tonight? It's my favorite place to go on the weekends." Quinn smiled.

"Uh sure. Where is it?"

"It's on 52nd street. Oh Puck you'll just love it!"

"Quinn!" Crosby yelled from across the station. "I need you to file this information for me!"

"Yes sir! I'll see you tonight Puck. How's 8:00?"

"How about we make it 8:30? I don't get off until 7:30."

"8:30 it is!" Quinn smirked.

"QUINN!"

"Coming!" Puck chuckled as he watched Quinn run off after Crosby. Demanding old bastard.

"You're moving on fast." Blaine tossed a folder onto Puck's desk.

"What?"

"It's just I could've sworn that you were 100% into Rachel last night. And now you've gotta date with the secretary." Blaine sat down next to Puck.

"Yeah well Rachel's got a boyfriend. You know that." Puck flipped through the folder.

"And how in the world did you figure that out?" Blaine asked.

"Will told me." Puck passed the folder back to him.

"Ugh. Fucking Will. He's still so bitter over what happened." Blaine added the folder to his pile.

" I know. Getting rejected by Rachel must hurt. But from what I heard that boyfriend of hers must add to the problem."

"She's a great girl. And Finn, her boyfriend, he's a nice guy. He's just protective over her. But take it from me, I don't believe they're set in stone."

"She seemed pretty crazy about him from what I can tell." Puck turned in his chair and faced Blaine.

"She is. But I think if the right person comes along she'll change her tune."

"You want me to break them up? I mean it's something I would do but aren't they your friends?" Puck was confused. Blaine didn't seem like that kind of person.

"I love them both. But I saw Rachel last night. I haven't seen her that happy in a while. All I'm saying is don't push yourself on her, but don't go away either. Finn's a lawyer. He works crazy hours. She works in a world where you could have a job at the beginning of a show and be out by the end. She hardly has time for friends. She needs a constant. Be her constant and nothing less than friendship will come out of that." Blaine gave a half smile and left Puck at his desk. Puck leaned back in his chair and sipped his coffee. What an odd thing to say about your friend. The feeling that something deeper was going on with Rachel crept back up into his mind. Puck decided to take Blaine's advice. After all, a little pursuing never hurt anyone.


	5. Dwell with Disaster

**Been enjoying summer so I haven't updated in a while. This chapter was originally part of a much longer chapter so I cut it to where they would both make sense on their own!**

**Thanks for reading! I only own the story!**

** .Review!**

Finn yawned as he rolled over on his side. He actually got more than an hour of sleep last night. He turned his head and saw Rachel still sleeping, as peaceful as can be. He glanced at his bedside clock. Shit. 7:00. He had to be at the office in less than half an hour. That wasn't happening. Finn threw the covers off and jumped out of bed. He practically sprinted to the shower and turned the faucet to medium temperature. Not waiting for it to reach the perfect setting, Finn yanked off his clothes and hoped in the shower. He scrubbed as quickly as he could and, just as fast as he got in, he got out and dried off. He wrapped his towel around him and padded out of the bathroom into his closet.

"Where is my fucking tie?" Finn muttered as he slipped each arm through its proper sleeve. He walked over to his drawers and sifted through the piles of clothes. After coming up unsuccessful, Finn slammed the drawer shut.

"Goddammit!" Finn screeched as the drawer closed in on his finger. He glanced over at the bed just as Rachel shot up.

"What is it? What's wrong!" Rachel squinted trying to allow her eyes to adjust.

"I can't find my tie. You know, the red one with the stripes?"

"Well can't you wear another one?" Rachel cocked her head to the side. He has plenty of ties. What's so important about this one?

"I could. But I don't want to." Finn turned back to his drawers. "Where the hell is my fucking tie!"

"Well why don't you finish getting ready and I'll look for it? It's got to be here somewhere. I just took everything to the dry cleaners and brought it back the other day. Rachel joined him by the drawers.

"Are you sure you remembered to pick it up? I mean if you're telling the truth where the hell is it?" Finn looked down at her.

"Of course I remembered. I went after rehearsal and brought it straight here. Come on. You go finish and I'll look." Rachel cooed.

"I don't have time for that."

"And why is that?"

"Because I have to be at the office in fifteen minutes. You were supposed to wake me up this morning. But did you? No. No, you didn't. Because you were probably too tired from doing God knows what last night. I mean what time did you even get in? I got in at 2:00 and you weren't here." Finn went back to his closet to finish getting dressed.

"I'm sorry I didn't wake you up. But you have an alarm. Why didn't you set it?" Rachel walked back to the bed and sat down.

"Excuse me?" Finn turned around and stalked towards her.

" I said, why didn't you set your alarm?" Immediately she was met by a sharp slap to her face.

"Don't you ever use that tone with me. I work hard, all day long to provide for you. I do my part to make sure you're taken care of and you have to gall to have an attitude?"

"I wasn't having an at-" Finn slapped her again. Only this time it was harder and the sound echoed off of the walls.

" Do not talk back to me! Now, I'm going to finish getting dressed. When I'm done I want my coffee and breakfast ready and waiting." Finn retreated back into the bathroom. Rachel slipped her feet into her slippers and walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. She glanced at a mirror in the hall and gasped. Her face was bruising. It was bright red all along the left side but towards the center of her cheek was turning an ugly yellowy brown color. Rachel rubbed her cheek and marched into the kitchen. She started the coffee pot and took the eggs out of the fridge. She put them into the skillet and started to scramble them, desperately trying to forget about the baby chick she was murdering. She sucked in a deep breath and dumped them onto a plate. She poured coffee into Finn's traveling mug and set it next to the eggs on the table. Rachel walked to the front door and retrieved the newspaper from its current position on the floor. She brought it back to the table and laid it next to Finn's things. She glanced at the clock and saw that it read 7:40. Rachel shut her eyes and pretended to imagine that wouldn't be angry when he saw the time. A couple minutes later Finn came stomping into the kitchen,

"Eggs? Rachel I can't sit down and eat eggs! I have to go! You can be so dumb sometimes. I mean really! Now I can't eat breakfast. That's great. The most important meal of the day. And it's not like I have time to eat lunch. I probably won't eat dinner until late tonight. Come on Rachel!" Finn shouted as he sipped from his mug.

"I should've known you'd forget." Rachel muttered.

"Forget what?" Finn glared at her.

"Tonight is Cassie's send-off party at 21! Remember Cassie? My roommate in college? The girl who got you your job? You promised you would go!" Rachel tried not to get upset but it was hard. Cassie meant a lot to her. She was the first New Yorker to befriend Rachel, and without her they probably wouldn't be living as well as they are. Due to Cassie recommending him for her father's law firm. She really hoped he'd remember.

"Oh. Guess I did forget. Oh well. I'll try to be there if I can. When is it?" Finn grabbed his briefcase and headed to the door.

"It's at 9:00. But Cassie asked if we could get there around 8:30 to help save tables and what not." Rachel hurried after him.

"Ok. Well I'll see what I can do. Bye."

"By-" Finn slammed the door in her face. "Bye. Hope you have a fantastic day." Rachel remarked to her empty apartment. She felt her face and sighed. It was swelling. Rachel trudged to the freezer to retrieve an ice pack and settled at the table with Finn's forgotten newspaper.

"Hm, Brooklyn Family Forced out of Home by the Bank? This sounds interesting." Rachel said as she immersed herself into the article, hoping that someone else's troubles would magically erase hers.

Puck swung his chair around back and forth as he watched Quinn talk on the phone. She was beautiful. And interesting, and kind of funny, and well, single. Not that the single part necessarily matters to him. He watched as Crosby yelled for her in his office and how she quickly hung up the phone and ran inside. Crosby glanced both ways and shut the door abruptly. Weird. About five minutes later Quinn came out crying and he watched as she grabbed her phone and ran to the girls bathroom. Puck raised his eyebrows. Weird shit was going on around the office and he, being the fantastic detective that he was, was going to find out. Puck stood up and casually made his way to the ladies restroom. When he got to the door he opened it quietly and stuck his head around the side, just to see if anyone else was in there.

"Quinn" He whispered. No response. He pushed the door open further and walked in. He stopped when he heard a hushed voice.

"He knows. I know that he knows." Silence. "He called me into his office and wanted to know why I'd been distant and keeping things from him. He was really freaking me out, Finn." Puck's ears perked up at the mention of a Finn. He knew a Finn from somewhere...

"Look, Finn. I don't wanna stop seeing you but I think it's best if we have some space. No, no, no. I do not want to stop seeing you. I like you. A lot. But we're not official and there might be another guy who I really like and-well he works with me. No, not Crosby. Someone else. He's an officer here. I know Finn, I know. But I need to keep Crosby happy. He needs to be happy. He fired his wife for me! He can't find out about this." Puck stomach churned as he heard the one-sided conversation. There definitely was something sketchy going on around the station. Puck took a few steps back and called out a little louder.

"Quinn? Are you in here!"

"Yes!" Quinn responded loudly than switched to a whisper "I'll let you know what happens"

"What're ya doing in here?" Puck said as he pushed the stall door open.

"I think the better question is what are YOU doing in here? This is the ladies restroom." Quinn brushed by him and went to the sink.

"Eh, I don't really pay attention to things like that. I mean, I take them as suggestions." Puck smirked as he leaned against the stall.

"Suggestions?"

"Yeah. Like, they suggest that only women use this restroom. Or they suggest that you shouldn't smoke right outside of the station. Stuff like that."

"Oh so you're a rule breaker huh?"

"No. I'm a rule bender. After all, they're just suggestions. See ya tonight Quinn" Puck grinned and walked out of the suggested ladies room leaving a beaming Quinn behind.

"Yo Puckerman! You're a lady now?" Sam Evans hollered when Puck walked out of the ladies bathroom.

"Nah man. Just getting' work done. If you know what I mean." Puck headed back to his desk. He sat down and rolled up to his computer. "Now, let me see. I hold to access code to all the files in this office. Including employee files. Maybe I should look into Ms. Fabray a little bit."

"Are you talking to yourself?" Blaine remarked as his passed Puck's desk.

"No. I'm not crazy." Puck replied.

"Ok. If you say so..."Blaine crinkled his eyebrows and continued on. Puck waited for him to leave before he logged on to the network and began his search of all things Quinn Fabray. She was a mystery and he had every intention of solving it.


End file.
